An Apple Problem

Once upoc a time there were two oíd men who sat in the market early every morning and sold apples. Bach one had thirty apples, and one of tho oíd men sold two for a cent, and the other oíd man sold three for a cent. In that way the first oíd man got íifteen cents for his basket of apples, wliile the sccond oíd man received ten cents; so that together they made twenty-five cents each day. But one day the oíd apple-man who sold three for a cent was too sick to go to the market, and he asked his neighbor lo take his apples and sell them for him. This the other oíd man very kindly consented to do, and when he got to the market with the two baskets of apples, he said to himself: "I will put all the apples into one basket, for it will be easier than picking them 'out of two baskets." So he put the sixty apples into one basket, and he said to himself: "Now, 11 I sell two apples for one cent, and my oíd friend sella three for one cent, that is tne same thing aa selling five apples for two cents. Thereforel will sell five applts for two cents." When he had sold the sixty apples ha found he had only twenty-fonr cents, which was right; because there are twelve íives in sixty, and twice twelve aro twenty-four. But if the other oíd man had been there, and each one had sold his apples separately, they would have received twenty-five cents. Now, how is that